A few years ago, I asked a couple of my friends to give me their favourite quotes. I had planned to make something out of the quotes and gift them. I wasn’t very happy with the results and decided not to give them.
I eventually gave one to my friend after she saw the post I wrote about it way back in October 2012, shortly after I had created it.
I pulled out the other quote by Victoria Moran today and realised that my friend does not even know I made this for her.
At the time I made this, it took me a long time to comprehend its meaning. I wasn’t sure why she liked it either. Now I can understand it. Because it resonates with me today, as it probably did with her, at that time.
This is post #12 in this year’s NaBloPoMo, or as Ra calls it Nano Poblano
NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month = Thirty straight days of blogging
One of the several bird paintings while I was in high school
‘Come, quick! You have to take a look at this!’
My father’s voice conveyed both his excitement and the urgency of the moment. We rushed to where he stood – at the door to the balcony. He signalled us to wait there and pointed outside.
A huge white bird sat perched on the railing of our balcony. All around it, the crows cawed as loud as their hoarse voices allowed them. This new bird was clearly not welcome. But the commotion didn’t faze the uninvited guest. We gazed in awe at its majestic presence. That was the first time I had ever seen an owl.
My grandmother (father’s mother) was sitting on her bed, when we asked her to join us. She was weak with old age and walked slowly. We prayed that the bird would wait for her. We didn’t dare step outside, fearing we may scare her* away. And she obliged. My grandmother was as excited to see the bird as we were. ‘Goddess Lakshmi has paid us a visit,’ she said.
She must have sat there for half an hour, clearly in no hurry to go anywhere. The crows could caw straight into her ear, and she couldn’t care less! We looked outside from our door to the balcony the entire time she sat there. We just couldn’t get enough of her!
* * *
The owl is called ullu in Hindi, and the word ullu also refers to a fool. I wonder why. With eyes wide open, they seem to be observant creatures. With greying hair and a deep thoughtful expression, to me, they are at once a picture of wisdom, peace and soft, furry, cuddly goodness. I’ve also seen very few owls — which may be the real reason why I find them fascinating.
As northern India prepares to welcome Goddess Lakshmi to their homes on Diwali, I wonder, will they call her consort a fool?
Wishing you a Happy Naraka Chathurdasi (and a happy chhoti Diwali, for those of you in the north!)
* I’m not sure if the owl was a him or a her. But I’d like to think of it as her. 🙂
One of the several birds I painted while I was in high school. It is now perched on the mantle at my grandparents’ (mother’s parents) home
This is post #10 in this year’s NaBloPoMo, or as Ra calls it Nano Poblano
NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month = Thirty straight days of blogging
I was invited by my friend to attend a choir competition to celebrate the founder’s day of a Church. The competition included solos, duets and quartets. The main event was the choir in which seven teams from different Prayer groups across the city competing.
The stage’s backdrop was decorated with balloons to make it look like the keys of the piano. Unfortunately, there was a shortage of black balloons, and the keys could not be completed. Not for long, though. The musicians performing on that stage more than made up for the lack of the key balloons — all the performances I had the opportunity to listen to, were of a very high quality and a treat to the ears!
Ready to play
This is post #9 in this year’s NaBloPoMo, or as Ra calls it Nano Poblano
NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month = Thirty straight days of blogging
Luxury hotels tend to have a rather extravagant décor. Here are a few pictures I snapped using my phone a few months back at a couple of Delhi hotels. Click on the images to view larger size.
Chandelier
Flowers in a Vase
Petals in a bowl of water
Antique Statue
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Ornate.”
This is post #8 in this year’s NaBloPoMo, or as Ra calls it Nano Poblano
NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month = Thirty straight days of blogging
I’ve always had a soft corner for birds. But it’s always been a challenge to photograph them near my house. They hardly sit still long enough to allow me to take a picture. The birds in the jungle though seemed to be quite extroverted.
The Jungle Babblers, which are so restless in the city, didn’t seem to be afraid of us at all. One sat right next to us on our Gypsy, while a few more were perched atop the wind shield. Looking at the pictures, I suppose they were probably angry because we were trespassing their territory.
We spotted a Rufous Treepie at the exact same spot under a bush three times. I suspect it was looking after a nest, although I didn’t find one.
There were several Bulbuls too — some that allowed me to come real close. As strange as it sounds, I’d never been so close to them before in my life. And in my greed to capture a close-up, I didn’t get a clean shot at all.
Here are a few shots I did get.
Click on a picture to view larger size.
Rufous Treepie
Jungle Babbler
‘Get out of my house!’
In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Treat.”
A group of monkeys crossed one of the roads next to the parked safari vehicles. More than one had a young one clinging on to her. This mother paused briefly to look over her shoulder, on the lookout for potential threats to the safety of her young one.
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Careful.”
Tall, clean and sharp, they come in shiny boxes.
We draw them out and display their art.
We put them in denim pockets, in rusty boxes and in dusty pouches.
We wear them down and peel them out.
Misplaced, handed over, forgotten, replaced – it’s of no relevance.
They have ensured that they have made their mark.
These pencils have been my silent companions for several years now. A few weeks back, my mother stitched this pencil pouch for keeping them organised, using a few of my old clothes. My pencils have finally found a home – a wonderful one too! 🙂
The changes a pencil undergoes in its lifetime, as well as the transformation of my old clothes into this new pouch are my interpretations for this week’s challenge.
Sometimes we fail to see things that are right in front of us. And it took me four days of looking around and racking my head, to see the obvious.
Be it the drafting paper or the guides of a digital tool, the grid is an important part of a designer’s work.
After I finished kicking myself for failing to realize this, I began seeing grids everywhere. The mosaic on the building’s wall, the tiles on our balcony floor, the chessboard inside the attic, the flannel of a train passenger, the gate of my office, the pattern book for cross stitching, the visible and imaginary separators in the drawer…
I realized that the grid is not just a tool for a designer, it is design — working for us without drawing attention to itself — hidden in plain sight.
This is a screen grab of the logo I created some time ago for a t-shirt ‘brand’ I tried to create*. It is the letter ‘ka’ written in four languages — Tamil, Hindi, English and Bengali (the last one being accidental!)
For other interpretations, be sure to check out this week’s photo challenge by The Daily Post : Grid
* I documented the experience of selling the t-shirts earlier this month. Check it out on Medium: A Semi-Formal Product Audit
This is post #12 in this year’s NaBloPoMo, or as Ra calls it Nano Poblano
Musings of an eccentric mind 